Razor blade conditioner



Dec. l2, 1933. H. F. HEILEMAN 1,939,168

RAZOR BLADE CONDITIONER Filed Jan. 2, 1952 Patented Dec. 12, 1933 UNITED STA RAZOR BLADE CONDITIONER Herman F. Heileman, Forest Park, Ill. Application January 2, 1932. serial No. 584,348

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a means and method of conditioning razor blades, more particularly those used in the various types of safety razors, the object being to improve the shaving qualities Aof the blades and to secure a greater number of smoother shaves from a single blade.

Numerous sharpening and stropping devices have been produced with the object of sharpening usedblades so as to prolong the effective 4usefulness thereof, some of which are more or less efficient as far as grinding and abrading effects are concerned, but, being mechanical devices, and in most cases automatic in the sharpening operation, the devices are structurally i complex and relatively expensive to produce, as welll as being somewhat cumbersome. Another object of this invention, therefore, is to simplify as well as improve the method of treating the blade in the accomplishment of the result, and jto this end, and for the attainment of further advantages as will be hereinafter more fully explained, the present invention consists in the novel device and peculiar method of treatment set forth in the following specification and pointed out with particularity in the appended claims.

It has been found that the dulling of the usual relatively thin or wafer-like razor blades in many cases is not the result of the wearing away of the sharp cutting edge in use, but rather because of the turning of the edge, in some cases, to a considerable degree, which not only has a pulling effect on the beard, but also causes lacerations of the skin. In the method of the present invenvtion this deformation of the cutting edge of the blade is corrected by placing the blade between two sheets of fibrous absorbent material, preferably leather, which are saturated with an oleaginous substance, preferably that commercially known as lard oil or cutting oil, and then applying a squeezing pressure upon the outer sides of the saturated sheets with movement of the pressure transversely of the sheets from about the center to beyond the cutting edge of the blade clamped immovably between the sheets. A simple device for carrying this treatment into effect is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, wherein- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device in yopen condition, and. showing a razor blade in place on one of the treating sheets or pads;

Fig. 2 is a View of the device in closed condition; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the manner in which the device is held and used by the operator in the conditioning treatment of the blade.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 10 designates generally a folder comprising two leaves 11, 12, hinged together as at 13. This folder may be made of any suitable sheet material which is relatively thin and pliable, yet semirigid and sufnciently durable to withstand the usage to which it is put. Preferably, as a matter of economy and practicability, the folder is made I of laminated material consisting of an inner layer of tough paper, and an outer layer of aluminum foil.

Secured on the inner sides of the leaves 11 and 12 of the folder, preferably by a suitable adhesive 70 throughout the entire extent thereof, are pads la, 15, respectively, comprising sheets of leather or other suitable fibrous material saturated with lard oil, cutting oil, or other suitable oleaginous substance.

In use, the razor blade, designated by the numeral 16 in the drawing, is placed on one of the pads 14 or 15, as the case may be, centrally thereof with the cutting edges 17 of the blade paralleling the longer sides of the leaf, after which the,80 opposite leaf of the folder is closed to bring the pad thereon over the blade, and then with the closed folder held firmly by the operator between the thumbs and forefingers or second fingers of both hands so as to clamp a squeezing pressure is exerted and at the same-v time the thumb and opposed finger of one hand are drawn transversely over the exterior surfaces of the opposed leaves l1 and 12 from the longitudinal center of the device to the margin thereof, repeating the operation several times and each time shifting the pressure to different positions lengthwise of the device. The result of this manipulation is to straighten out any curling which may have occurred at the cutting edge of the blade, thereby reconditioning the blade and rendering it fit for smooth and comfortable shaving, and by which treatment it has been found that a single blade may be reconditioned for use many timesV over and over.

it may be here stated that the application of the laterally movable squeezing pressure externally of the device creates a substantially rolling action of the compressed pads 14 and l5 towards he cutting edge of the interposed blade to effect the physical reconditioning above noted, and in addition there is a chemical effect upon the blade due to the exudation of the oily substance from the pads 14 and 15, whereby corrosion is appreno ciably dissolved and prevented from recurring.

the interposed blade, 85V

ously different materials Vand construction may beV employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as deiined by the appended claim, and, further, the peculiar method of the present invention may be carried out in machines wherein the pressure is applied and distributed mechanically instead of manually as with the device illustrated in the drawing. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specic structure shown.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A device for conditioning razor blades and the like, comprising a pair of relatively thin and ilexible leaves on the inner sides of which are provided pads of thin sheet leather or the like saturated with an oleaginous conditioning and treating substance, between which pads the blade to be conditioned is interposed and clamped by external pressure upon said leaves, the outer surfaces of said leaves being adapted for the application of movable squeezing pressure of the opposed iingers of'an operator thereupon.

HERMAN F. HEILEMAN. 

